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28871-01 - Lecture with practical courses: Chronic Disease and Molecular Epidemiology (1 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Every fall sem. |
| Lecturers |
Medea Imboden (medea.imboden@unibas.ch, Assessor)
Ayoung Jeong (a.jeong@unibas.ch) |
| Content | This introductory course provides a first orientation to chronic disease epidemiology for students from diverse backgrounds. It opens with an AI-assisted self-study session establishing the basics of non-communicable diseases and the Global Burden of Disease framework. Taught sessions then introduce cohort study design through real examples (air pollution, noise, occupational exposure, physical activity, nutrition), life-course approaches to risk, genetic epidemiology and genome-wide association studies, the exposome and precision-health paradigm, and biobanking with its infrastructural and ethical requirements. Concepts are presented at an entry level, with emphasis on critical appraisal rather than technical depth. Students apply them by sketching and presenting a hypothetical NCD cohort project. |
| Learning objectives | By the end of the course, students will be able to: Know the principal global data sources for NCD burden and risk factors. Understand the defining features of chronic disease epidemiology, the exposome, phenome and ‘omics and summarise how this shifts the NCD research from single exposure to comprehensive exposure research. Explain the rationale, design logic and infrastructure of cohort studies and biobanks, including the agnostic principle underlying genome-wide association studies, as well as judge the ethical, legal and social implications of biobanking. Apply free-to-use AI tools purposefully and transparently to retrieve, structure and interrogate the NCD burden and risk factor evidence. Select an appropriate epidemiologic study setting and create an outline of a hypothetical NCD risk-factor(s) study. Communicate that design concisely and informally assess the strengths and weaknesses of peers' study designs and provide constructive feedback in a group setting. |
| Comments | weeks 1-7 |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Thursday | 14.15-16.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 5 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 17.09.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 6 |
| Thursday 24.09.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 5 |
| Thursday 01.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 5 |
| Thursday 08.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 5 |
| Thursday 15.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 5 |
| Thursday 22.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 5 |
| Thursday 29.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 5 |
| Modules |
Doctorate Science Epidemiology: Recommendations (PhD subject: Epidemiology (Start of studies before 01.08.2025)) Module: Foundations in Epidemiology (Master's Studies: Epidemiology) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | sketching and presenting a hypothetical NCD-cohort project is the course assessment |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration, dereg: cancel course registration |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Science, studiendekanat-philnat@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Schweizerisches Tropen- und Public Health-Institut |